The Waddington Historical Association is pleased to announce the opening of the Waddington Historical Walkway. The official dedication ceremony took place Thursday evening, August 6, 2026, as a crowd gathered around the first three storyboards located at the end of Maple Street where the existing waterfront walkway starts.

The project consists of a total of 13 storyboards placed strategically along the waterfront walkway from Maple Street to Pine Street, all depicting Waddington’s rich history from 1800 to 1959. It’s a great opportunity to get some exercise and learn all about Waddington history. All of boards contain the UR code that will take you to the recently redesigned WHA website: www.waddingtonhistory.com

The idea for the walkway started after a visit to the Morrisburg, Ontario waterfront where they have several storyboards in place that give viewers an idea of how the waterfront changed because of the St. Lawrence Seaway that was opened in 1959. Waddington had similar changes and a now has a much different waterfront than before the Seaway. WHA president Mary Hamilton and Historian Kathy Putney then approached the WHA Board asking them to consider a similar project and after permissions were obtained from the Village Board and NYPA, the process started. Dave Austin of DaveAustinDesign of the Finger Lakes area was chosen to design the boards and took us through the process of deciding the appropriate photos and historical information for each board. Museum President Patty VanPatten also helped us and eventually we narrowed it down and sent 13 boards off to be printed.

We wanted to involve the community and the younger generation, so we made a connection with BOCES Northwest Tech in Ogdensburg and talked with the metal works teacher, Jon Hughes, asking about the possibility of having his class produce the stands for the signs. After much thought, it was decided the project would be a good experience for two of his senior class students, Grant Hayes and Joe Doelger, who actually were from Waddington. It was a big undertaking and with some help from the junior metalworking class, 26 legs needed for the 13 storyboards were completed. We are thankful for their talents and contribution to this project.

Once the boards arrived, the next group of community volunteers took over to finish the project. Michael Badlam was in charge of creating the cement bases the signs are anchored on along and had help from Rob Bigelow and Craig Bogart. Michael also attached the 26 legs to the 13 boards which was no easy task. Once the pads were ready to move and the weather cooperated, the Village Department of Public Works took over and placed each of the pads in their permanent positions. Thanks to Jeff Rupert, Nate Bird, Caleb Carr, David Odendahl for all of their help.

The final step involved anchoring the boards to the cement pads. Mayor Mike Zagrobelny and Matt Daley had all 13 storyboards standing on the cement pads in one afternoon. The money used to pay for all the materials came from the many donations made to the WHA through fundraisers held and memberships received over the last five years. We can definitely say this is a community project. They often say, “It takes a Village” and this project is a great example.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE!